The Indian Army celebrates ‘Army Day’ every year on the 15th of January in honor of General (later Field Marshal) K.M Carriappa, who took control of the Army from General Sir F.R.R Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949. This day marks the moment when he became the first post-independence Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.
Agasthyarkoodam Peak: A Historical climbing milestone in Kerala
The defense Spokesperson K Dhanya Sanal made history by becoming the first woman to begin climbing the 1,868-metre-tall Agasthyarkoodam – the second highest peak of Kerala. Before this, the peak was traditionally only open to men. The ban preventing women from summiting Agasthyarkoodam was lifted by the Forest Department following an order from the Kerala High Court. It is important to note that the local Kani tribes living on the foothills have opposed this change as they believe that the mountain range is the home of their deity ‘Agastya Muni’ – a revered Hindu sage considered the guardian of the inhabitants.
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| Highest peak in Western Ghats and South India | Anai Mudi (Elevation – 2,695 meters) |
| Agasthyarkoodam peak location | Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Agasthymala Biosphere Reserve, Kerala |
| New sites added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in March 2016 | Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve |
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi Receives First-Ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award
The first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award was given to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi by World Marketing Summit India. The award underlines a focus on the triple-bottom-line of People, Profit, and Planet and will be offered annually to the leader of a nation. The origins of this award lie with Prof. Philip Kotler, a globally renowned Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, U.S.
Unveiling of Spiritual Circuit in Kerala
Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Union Ministry of Tourism has approved a spiritual circuit that links 133 religious places across 14 districts in Kerala. These places have been handpicked due to their inherent historical, cultural, and religious significance. The development includes community halls, Annadhana Mandapam, multipurpose halls, toilets, cafeterias, parking facilities, landscaping, pathways, illuminations, signages, and dustbins, among other improvements
Launch of Womaniya on Government e Marketplace
Government e Marketplace [GeM] launched “Womaniya on GeM”, an initiative that aims to empower women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups (WSHGs). It provides a platform to sell handicrafts, handloom, accessories, jute and coir products, home décor and office furnishings, directly to various government ministries, departments, and institutions. With around 80% of women-owned establishments self-financed and over 60% of 8 million units owned or led by socially-challenged women entrepreneurs, this initiative seeks to develop women entrepreneurship and spur hyper-local economic opportunities, aligning with the Government’s initiatives for MSMEs.
End-to-End Prediction System for Thunderstorms/Lightning Implemented by IMD
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) plans to implement an end-to-end prediction system for predicting thunderstorms/lightning by April 2019. The system will be developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and IMD, New Delhi.
Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) Project and Industrial Corridors in India
AURIC, India’s first Greenfield Industrial Smart City, is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and is being developed by the Aurangabad Industrial Township (AIT). The Government plans to develop five more industrial corridors in the country: DMIC, Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), Bengaluru Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC), Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC), and East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC).
Maha Agritech Launch in Maharashtra
Maha Agritech is a new initiative launched by the Maharashtra government. For the first time in India, this project will digitally monitor area under cultivation from sowing to harvesting, climate conditions, and diseases on crops using satellite and drone technology.
Other Important Programmes under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Several other critical programmes including Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agro-meteorology and Land based observations (FASAL), National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS), KISAN (Crop Insurance using Space technology And geoinformatics), CHAMAN (Coordinated programme on Horticulture Assessment and Management using geo-informatics) are run under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.